"Zoro, Usopp and the others will be here soon. The Marines are also rushing this way. You and Sanji should have no problem handling the four of them, right!?"
On the battlefield of ice, Red lifted his head and glanced toward the sky where Luffy and Imu had vanished, then secretly transmitted his voice to Zoro through Psychic Power.
Zoro grinned and answered straight out:
"Don't worry! With us here, they won't be able to stir up any trouble!"
"Good!" Red nodded.
Judging from the current situation, the Five Elders truly no longer posed much of a threat to Zoro and Sanji.
The only thing that might cause the two of them to slip up was stamina consumption.
But putting aside Zoro and Sanji's already abundant stamina, even if they really did overexert themselves, a single Full Restore would instantly return them to peak fighting condition.
The moment his words fell, Red's body abruptly emitted a deep purple glow. As his body rapidly elongated, he transformed into a strange, gigantic draconic creature.
This was none other than the Eternatus Form Red had mastered!
Whoosh!!!
Without the slightest hesitation, Red, transformed into Eternatus, shot straight into the air, chasing in the direction where Luffy and Imu had disappeared.
Although he had complete confidence in Luffy's strength, Red still decided to personally stand guard for him in order to prevent any accidents.
Even if doing so might… consume some of his most precious battery power.
…
…
At the same time, as he sensed the surrounding space becoming more and more unfamiliar, Imu's already demonic face instantly grew even more hideous.
"INSECT!!! What are you doing!?"
Imu flew into a rage, questioning Luffy in a hoarse, chaotic voice.
Yet Luffy, who had transformed into an aircraft, merely revealed a smiling face on his round fuselage.
"Shishishi~ Of course I'm… taking you on a trip through space!!!"
"Bastard!!!"
Imu struggled with all his might, but every time he was about to break free from Luffy's arm, another one of Luffy's limbs would immediately coil around him, wrapping him up tightly.
Seeing that they had already entered the depths of the starry sky, the terror in Imu's eyes grew increasingly intense.
He could already feel it…
The ruling power he had obtained through the Solar Crystal was continuously weakening.
This unfamiliar starry environment actually made this Void King, who had ruled for more than eight hundred years, feel fear.
"No!!! This is not a place where I should appear!!!"
"I must return to the blue planet at once!!!"
Clearly, Imu was not ignorant of the concept of planets.
Although he had not obtained Pluton and Poseidon, he had found Uranus, which Joy Boy had hidden away, and in doing so, he himself possessed the ability to set foot among the stars.
However, Imu was also keenly aware that the starry sky was dangerous and unknown.
That was why the cowardly him had never dared to cast his gaze toward space.
On top of that, he was one of the people aware that the so-called "One Piece" was nothing more than a farce.
Imu had taken advantage of this point, allowing—no, even guiding—people to rush toward the sea and explore mysterious waters, all to prevent anyone from suddenly wanting to explore the starry sky.
Red's previous guess had not been wrong.
The starry sky was Imu's greatest weakness!
And all of this was, in truth, the ideological brand that the World Government had planted into every living being in the world over the past eight hundred years.
Unfortunately, no one could have imagined that a transmigrator unaffected by this ideological brand would suddenly appear in the pirate world—and that beside him would just so happen to be a group of companions who loved acting recklessly.
"Luffy!!!"
Eternatus, supremely adapted to the environment of space, swung its nearly hundred-meter-long body. Like a dark crimson comet tearing through the void, it suddenly arrived beside Luffy and Imu.
"Red!!!"
Although this was Luffy's first time seeing Red in his Eternatus Form, he recognized Red immediately through his familiar aura.
And in the instant Luffy was distracted by greeting him, Imu also suddenly exerted his strength. Countless thick wooden spikes abruptly burst out from his body, knocking away Luffy's restraints.
"Holy crap, Wood Release!?"
Looking at the move Imu had just used, Red, who had been about to say something to Luffy, suddenly widened his eyes. Returning to human form, his face filled with shock.
First the Rinnegan, now Wood Release. Did this guy Imu also have a bit of Ōtsutsuki bloodline in him or something?
However, Red quickly realized Imu's objective.
"Trying to escape back to the blue planet?"
"Do you think you still have that chance?"
Red smiled faintly and abruptly stretched out his hand, summoning a Hyperspace Hole that appeared directly in Imu's path.
Imu, flying at full speed, did not notice it at all. He plunged headfirst into the Hyperspace Hole, only to emerge from another location and fly in a direction away from the blue planet.
"Hm!?"
The sudden change in scenery caused Imu to stop abruptly.
He turned around sharply and saw Red looking at him with a mocking expression.
"It was you!!!"
Imu's face darkened like ink, endless fury surging in his eyes.
But Red's demeanor was relaxed, his tone calm as he waved toward Luffy.
"Go ahead and fight without worry, Luffy!"
"If this guy tries to run back, I'll help you send him back here!"
"Shishishi, then I'm relieved!"
Luffy laughed, and his body once again returned to his giant form, arriving opposite Imu.
At this moment, how could Imu possibly fail to understand that Red and Luffy intended to trap him like a turtle in a jar?
It was just that this "jar" was rather special. It was not some miraculous container, but the vast and boundless sea of stars.
Under Red's day-by-day training, Luffy's battle style had long since ceased to be as reckless as it once was.
So after discovering that Imu possessed the power to control the blue planet, the first thing he thought of was taking him away from it.
And coincidentally…
This was something Luffy was already extremely skilled at doing.
"Come on! Giant ugly monster, our battle has only just begun!!!"
Looking at Imu, who could only glare furiously, Luffy had no intention of wasting words on him.
After all, no matter how many times those people repeated themselves, it was always the same lines—"insect," "lowly rabble," and so on…
He had already heard enough of that sort of talk during his previous battle with the Five Elders!!!
Boom!!!
In the depths of the starry sky, a gigantic white fist descended like a god or demon and once again slammed into Imu's body under his gaze.
"Damn it…"
Imu's enormous demonic wings abruptly folded together, forming a thick shield of flesh and blood in an attempt to block Luffy's attack.
But he seemed to have forgotten that he was no longer on the blue planet.
Nor did he have natural energy endlessly supplying him anymore!!!
Boom!!!
There were too few particles in space, causing sound transmission to be much weaker than it was on the blue planet. Even so, Luffy's strike still erupted with a terrifying sound like thunder splitting the heavens, surging out into the profound cosmos.
A surging aura rose from Luffy's body. At this moment, he seemed like a true sun, radiating dazzling light.
By contrast, Imu, whose roots were bound to the blue planet, was in an incomparably miserable state.
After Dynamax and Mega Evolution, Luffy's strength had long since broken through the heavens. This was perhaps something even Imu himself had never imagined.
Previously, when they were still on the blue planet, Imu had been able to continuously recover from his injuries through the planet's natural energy. As a result, he had not even noticed the gap in power between them.
But now that they had reached the unsupported emptiness of space…
"It looks like after leaving the blue planet, even Imu's recovery ability has disappeared?"
Red's eyes lit up as he watched the battle.
Seeing that Imu was clearly heavily injured, yet had not immediately recovered as he had before, Red instantly realized something.
"Perhaps this battle will be even easier than I imagined~"
Red smiled, then spread his Psychic Power through the surrounding space, sealing off the entire area to prevent Imu from suddenly using some space-type move to escape back to the blue planet.
From here on, there was no longer any suspense in this battle.
Having lost his ability of infinite life, Imu had absolutely no power to fight back against Luffy, who possessed the Regenerator Ability and could drink all kinds of medicine.
Under total suppression in every aspect, his defeat was only a matter of time.
…
…
At the same time.
The two Five Elders still entangled in battle with Zoro on the ice watched as the mental connection between themselves and Lord Imu was being consumed at an abnormal speed. In an instant, panic seized them.
The battle had not gone on for long so far, yet the mental connection between them and Imu had already been torn apart by more than one-fifth.
And looking at Zoro's condition, under this nonstop real combat, his ability to inflict soul attacks was becoming increasingly effortless to use.
The damage he caused was even almost twice as much as it had been at the beginning of the battle!
If this continued, it would not be long before they truly died.
Clang!!!
Endless frost condensed into a bloody slash, radiating a terrifying aura of the underworld as it cut toward Zoro.
At the same time, Saint Warcury, who had transformed into a gigantic wild boar, wrapped a massive amount of Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki infusion around his tusks, charging rapidly toward Zoro.
Yet in the face of their ferocious assault, Zoro merely raised the corners of his mouth and calmly used Three Sword Style · Black Rope Dragon Twister, easily blocking both of their attacks.
During this period of time, the growth Zoro had obtained was not limited to the God-Slaying sword path. His own strength and stamina had also received tremendous boosts as his level increased.
Now, even facing attacks from two Emperor of the Sea-level opponents at the same time was only somewhat troublesome for him.
With medicine supporting him, Zoro had no concern at all for stamina consumption. After blocking their attacks, he did not say a word and immediately followed up with another God-Slaying attack against the two of them, once again weakening the mental link between them and Imu.
"This won't do! If this continues, there's no way out!!!"
Lord Imu, who they had expected to return at any moment, still had not appeared. At this moment, the resolve in Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury's hearts finally began to waver.
If they continued, only death awaited them.
Although they feared Lord Imu settling accounts afterward, they also did not want to simply die here.
Just as Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury exchanged glances, both seeing the other's thoughts…
A calm voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
"Ice Age!!!"
Crackle…
A wave of extremely cold icy air suddenly surged from the depths of the sea, reconsolidating the ice layer that had been shattered during the battle.
And as they sensed the cold rising from beneath their feet, Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury's eyes abruptly lit up.
"It's Aokiji!!!"
As Five Elders, they knew very well that this was the move of the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Aokiji.
And if Aokiji had arrived, did that not mean the Marines' high-end combat forces could also come over?
This time, the World Government had mobilized almost all its forces. Aside from Garp, who was related to Luffy by blood, even Sengoku, who had already retired behind the scenes, had been forcibly summoned by the World Government.
With their addition, they would absolutely be able to restrain Roronoa Zoro before them!
At the very least… with more people sharing the damage, they would no longer have to worry about the danger of their mental link snapping.
However, just as Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury were thinking this, the ice rising from beneath their feet showed no sign of stopping. It directly climbed up their legs.
In the blink of an eye, the extreme cold ice had sealed the two Five Elders inside.
Crackle~!
Pitch-black lightning flashed, and a crack suddenly appeared on the lifelike ice sculptures.
Immediately afterward, the sound of shattering rang out, and Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury abruptly broke free from their frozen state.
The two of them immediately turned around, staring in disbelief at the figure standing on the ice behind them.
"Aokiji!!! What are you doing!?"
Saint Warcury's eyes were blazing red, as though flames were burning within them.
Aokiji's actions filled them with shock and fury, but after that, the ominous premonition in their hearts made their bodies feel even colder than the ice just now.
"What am I doing? Isn't that already obvious?"
Aokiji still wore his lazy expression. He calmly walked to a spot not far from the two Five Elders, then joined Zoro in trapping them from the left and right.
"You betrayed the World Government!?" Saint Nusjuro spat through gritted teeth.
Aokiji shrugged indifferently. "Call it whatever you want."
"Damn it!"
Saint Warcury slammed one of his forehooves against the ground, shattering the newly connected ice layer once more.
"Unforgivable!!! Unforgivable!!!"
To the Five Elders, the Fleet Admiral's betrayal made them even angrier than Zoro's deadly threat!
No wonder Aokiji had constantly used all sorts of different reasons to demand military funding from the World Government ever since he took office.
Originally, they had thought Aokiji simply had no concept of money.
Now, it seemed this old bastard had clearly done it on purpose!!!
At that moment, another voice suddenly rang out above Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury's heads:
"The truly unforgivable ones are you!!!"
Boom!!!
An indescribable pressure abruptly descended upon the two Five Elders, making their bodies incomparably stiff and difficult to move.
In the next instant, Issho, hovering in midair, slowly descended, blocking off another side of the two Five Elders.
"Zoro!!!"
From the distance, Usopp's voice suddenly rang out.
A gigantic beetle, its body comparable to a small sailing ship, flew rapidly over from the horizon.
And on top of that beetle were none other than Usopp and the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
At this point…
Saint Nusjuro and Saint Warcury's only path of survival had been completely sealed off!!!
(End of Chapter)